Native American theatre began as their own rituals. Their pieces are rooted in community celebrations and ancient rituals reflecting the spiritual beliefs and shared values of the indigenous nations that birthed it. Their plays commonly focus on cosmic consequence that often means separating the story from the natural world, into some sort of in-between. The audiences don’t just watch, but rather they act as participants to the shows themselves. Conquest by whites destroyed large populations of Indian nations, sometimes to entirety. This also meant losing much of these cultural dramas. Moreover, the placement of Native Americans to reservations and the enormity of White culture mostly had a negative influence on the theatre from nations that did happen to survive. Dramatic pieces such as Plains Sun Dances, the Cheyenne Sacred Arrow, and more, made it to the 20th century. They were used to unite and bind their communities. In the 1970s, a Native American Theatre Ensemble began putting on Western dramas. Through these, their intent was to use them to show western audiences Native American traditions, values, fashions, etc. Today, there is a small amount of plays written by Native American playwrights, and even smaller are the performances of such.
Native American theatre began as their own rituals. Their pieces are rooted in community celebrations and ancient rituals reflecting the spiritual beliefs and shared values of the indigenous nations that birthed it. Their plays commonly focus on cosmic consequence that often means separating the story from the natural world, into some sort of in-between. The audiences don’t just watch, but rather they act as participants to the shows themselves. Conquest by whites destroyed large populations of Indian nations, sometimes to entirety. This also meant losing much of these cultural dramas. Moreover, the placement of Native Americans to reservations and the enormity of White culture mostly had a negative influence on the theatre from nations that did happen to survive. Dramatic pieces such as Plains Sun Dances, the Cheyenne Sacred Arrow, and more, made it to the 20th century. They were used to unite and bind their communities. In the 1970s, a Native American Theatre Ensemble began putting on Western dramas. Through these, their intent was to use them to show western audiences Native American traditions, values, fashions, etc. Today, there is a small amount of plays written by Native American playwrights, and even smaller are the performances of such.